364 MARGARET R. LEWIS AND WARREN H. LEWIS 



This degeneration appears first in the mitochondria around the 

 central body and later in those scattered at the periphery 

 (fig. 13 a). 



The process of degeneration of the mitochondria can be most 

 successfully observed when produced by some outside agency 

 such as carbonic acid gas or vapor from a weak acid solution 

 (fig. 13 d, e). When the death of the cell is produced experi- 

 mentally the mitochondria become first a series of granules which 

 soon become slightly vesicular although at this stage they still 

 stain in the characteristic manner. Then these vesicles sepa- 

 rate and rapidly become small, finely granular rings or shadows. 

 These no longer stain like mitochondria but more like the cyto- 

 plasm, i.e., brownish green with Bensley's anilin fuchsin, 

 methylen green or pale gray with Heidenhain's iron hemo- 

 toxylin, and in the living cell the Janus green does not stain 

 them green. It is apparent that some change has taken place 

 which has completely changed not only the morphology but also 

 the composition of the mitochondria. 



These degenerate mitochondria correspond in many ways to 

 the ''grains du segregation" described by Dubreuil in the lymph 

 cells, but are unquestionably degenerate mitochondria, and they 

 can be produced in any cell of these growths by means of various 

 agents such as carbonic acid gas, chloretone, acid vapor, hydro- 

 gen peroxide and potassium permanganate. 



Meves ('10) and Duesberg ('10) simultaneously found that 

 poorly fixed mitochondria show granulation and small bladder 

 forms. Other observers have found that granulation is due to 

 delay in fixation after death or to disease, as Mayer and Rathery 

 ('07) experimental polyuria; Takaki ('07) polyuria or prolonged 

 fast; Policard ('10) experimental poluria and after injection of 

 phlorizin; Policard and Garnier ('07), Cesa Bianchi ('10), Heiden- 

 hain ('11) also obtained similar results. 



Beckton ('10) claims that in a certain tumor no mitochondria 

 were present in the tumor cells. In view of the observations of 

 Beckwith ('14) it may be possible that certain cells can exist 

 without mitochondria, but it seems more probable that the 

 apparent lack of mitochondria in the tumor cell described by 



